Parallels and Reciprocity
by wistful47
Summary: This fic takes place between 4x09 "Enemy of My Enemy" and goes past the timeline of season 4. It has two POVs: Olivia's and Altliv's (Liv). Olivia just had a migraine and Liv shows up unexpectedly.
1. Chapter 1

It took Olivia several moments to realize that the pounding she heard wasn't her head. It could have been: she felt as though a metal spike had been hammered through her skull from temple to temple. Her face was buried in the sofa cushions, eyes squeezed shut against the pain. A stifled sob escaped her lips. All she wanted was quiet, rest, and her migraine pills, but the external pounding continued.

Olivia heaved herself into a sitting position and looked at the mess of case files spread out on the end table in front of her. She must have fallen asleep while working. The world around her spun for a moment and she shut her eyes again, pressing her fingers into her forehead, trying to massage away the pain. Olivia opened her eyes, and the world seemed clearer and her mind less foggy. There was another burst of rapping on her door, and this time Olivia could hear muffled words. Was someone saying her name?

She stumbled to her feet and made her way somewhat unsteadily toward the door. Without her usual caution, Olivia ignored the peephole, didn't grab her gun, and swung her apartment door open. The light from the hallway lanced into her brain, sending waves of pain shooting through her. Framed in the doorway was a man in an Army uniform. Olivia could just make out his name and rank: Sergeant Ramsey. Behind him stood herself. Or, rather, her alternate self. Liv was wearing her usual outfit: green cargo pants and a black leather jacket.

While Olivia braced herself against the wall next to the door, the sergeant spoke. "Agent Dunham, sorry to wake you. We tried calling you ahead of time, but you didn't answer."

Olivia realized that she must look a mess. Her grey Northwestern tee was creased and sweaty, she was wearing sweatpants, and her hair was probably wildly disheveled. Self-consciously, she pressed her hand to her head and tried to smooth her hair back. Her skull was still pounding, and she didn't think the lightning she was seeing was actually there.

Olivia cleared her throat, but her voice still came out raspy. "No, that's, um, that's fine." Her tongue stumbled over the words. She drew her shoulders up from their slump and forced herself to look straight at him confidently. "I was just sleeping, must not have heard my phone ring. What's up?" She glanced from him to her alternate, then quickly back to him.

Ramsey started to speak, but Liv interrupted, saying, "I was hoping to stay here tonight, if that's alright with you. I don't feel like being babysat in a hotel room." Not waiting for an answer, Liv brushed past both the sergeant and Olivia, tossing her backpack onto the floor as she stepped into Olivia's apartment. "Hey, you okay? You don't look too good."

Liv was studying Olivia's face, a slight smile tugging at her lips. Olivia was in too much pain to care what her alternate was thinking at the moment. Ignoring Liv, she turned to Ramsey and said, "Thank you, sergeant, that's fine. You can tell your commanding officer that I've got it from here." For a brief moment, Olivia wondered why, exactly, Liv was here. Another surge of pain wiped that thought out as she closed the door behind her.

After latching the door, Olivia turned around slowly, trying to organize her thoughts. Suddenly, light flooded the apartment and Olivia snapped her eyes shut and let out a soft cry. Instinctively, she brought her hand to her forehead, trying to shield her eyes and attack the pain simultaneously.

"Hey, hey!" Liv rushed to her side as Olivia bent over, clutching her head. "What's wrong? Hey, look at me, Olivia, what is it?"

Despite the haze that clouded her mind, Olivia recognized that this was probably the first time that her alternate had called her by their shared name. Liv's hands braced Olivia, pressing against her back and abdomen. Olivia could feel her alternate's individual fingers as her stomach muscles clenched and unclenched spasmodically.

Liv's support allowed Olivia to straighten up. Together, they walked to the couch, where Olivia promptly sank into the cushions. Above her, Liv's hands waved nervously until they eventually settled on her hips.

"What can I do? Can I get you something? Tea, or, uh, some Tylenol?"

"I have…there's medicine in my, in the bathroom cabinet. Topiramax. It's for migraines." Her alter was the move before she finished speaking. "And hit the lights, too."

In a matter of seconds, Liv was back. The lights were off and she had the pills in her hand.

"Here, let me get you some water."

Olivia nodded and popped the pills into her mouth, holding them behind her teeth while she waited for the water. Her mouth was remarkably dry. She noticed that Liv made sure to keep the cupboards from banging. A few moments later, Liv returned to the sofa and crouched down next to Olivia, proffering the cup of water. Gratefully, Olivia swallowed down the pills.

"Thank you," she murmured and leaned back. She wanted nothing more than to go to sleep. Her eyelids were heavy, and the pain in her forehead was slowly fading away.

"Better?" Liv asked.

"Yeah, much, thank you." Olivia was beginning to slip away. The couch was very comfortable.

"Sure, no problem. Here, why don't we go to your room? You'll be more comfortable there." Liv helped her to her feet and led her to the bedroom. "Can I get you anything else?"

Olivia settled onto her bed and said, "No, I'm fine. Thank you."

Liv shifted from foot to foot uneasily. "Alright. I'll just be right outside, so if you need anything..."

"Make yourse—, uh, feel free to use the kitchen and bathroom," Olivia said softly before fading into sleep.

"Sure." Liv backed out of the bedroom, closing the door softly behind her.

...

Once Liv was safely out Olivia's room, she collapsed against the wall and let out a sigh of relief. It had been odd, very odd, to see Olivia so out of sorts. Aside from the time they first met, Liv hadn't ever seen her alternate in clothing other than a pantsuit and a button up blouse. She was always so stiff, so distant, so put together. She kept her emotions carefully hidden behind a cold visage. And yet, tonight, she was vulnerable and in pain. It was incredibly disconcerting.

For the first time, Liv wondered how hard Olivia had to work to keep so rigid and in control of her emotions. It must cost her a lot. Liv knew a lot about Olivia's life, knew how shitty it had been. Her childhood had been ruined by the cortexiphan trials and her abusive stepfather. As a teenager, she had lost her mother, and as an adult, she'd lost two partners, one of whom she loved. She'd been kidnapped by Liv's universe, injected with memories that didn't belong to her, and had returned to a life that had been hijacked by Liv herself. Liv knew all these things, but hadn't ever thought about how they affected her alternate. Suddenly, Liv felt very guilty.

Liv spent the next couple of hours looking at the case files Olivia had left scattered by the couch. At 5:30 a.m., she quit and went to check on Olivia. She cracked the door open and peered inside. Grey light filtered through the curtains and onto Olivia's face, which had regained some color. Her forehead was no longer creased, her mouth no longer pursed in pain. Sleeping, Olivia had a childlike quality to her, and Liv fought the urge to kneel by her bedside and stroke her hair. Quietly, she shut the door and went to take a shower.


	2. Chapter 2

Olivia awoke to the smell of coffee. Confused, she rubbed her face, clearing her eyes of sand. Her hand was still resting on her forehead when she heard movement and clattering, and suddenly it all came back to her. She groaned and covered her eyes, not wanting to believe it. Olivia Dunham, the other one, was in her home. Again. And last night…last night she'd taken care of her.

Olivia got dressed slowly. Black undergarments, black slacks, and a light blue blouse topped off with a black jacket. She flipped her hair out of the jacket collar and pulled it back into a tight ponytail, slipped her shoes on, and grabbed her gun. When she had finally run out of things to do, Olivia took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, forced her face into an impassive mask, and stepped out of her room.

"Hey, you're up!" Liv was in the kitchen, cooking something on the stove. Her red hair was wet and she was wearing only a tank top and shorts. "I'm making eggs, want any? Oh, and there's coffee in the pot over there." Liv gestured toward a spot on the counter.

Refraining from pointing out that she well aware of where she kept her coffee pot, Olivia responded, "Um, thanks, I'm not hungry but coffee would be nice."

"You sure you don't want anything? I can make some toast."

Olivia forced a polite smile. "No, it's fine." She glanced at her watch. It was already past 7:00. "I need to get going soon anyways."

"Alright." Liv paused what she was doing and looked at Olivia intently. Uncomfortable, Olivia busied herself by pouring a cup of coffee. Liv spoke again, saying, "How are you feeling? You were pretty out of it last night."

"Much better. It was just a migraine. I've been getting them a lot lately." Olivia hesitated, then added, "Thank you for helping last night. You didn't have to."

Liv smiled and said, "Not a problem. I—." Liv broke off, her smile fading. "I used to take care of Rachel, when she was sick." Liv tilted her head to the side, a look of sadness flitting across her face. "It felt good, being able to help. I haven't…it's been a long time since I've done that."

There was silence after that. Liv pressed a couple of fingers to her nose and turned back to the eggs.

They had never really talked, the two Olivias—especially about anything personal—since the night they first met. A lot hung between them, things left unsaid. Perhaps it was good that they were talking about some of these things, especially things that connected rather than distanced the two.

Finally, Olivia spoke. "I'm sorry. It must have been hard, losing her."

Liv turned back to Olivia. "We both know about loss."

Olivia ducked her head, nodding, and Liv turned back to the stove. Several minutes passed in silence. Liv finished cooking the eggs and dumped them onto a plate. Neither Olivia Dunham looked at each other.

Once again, Olivia broke the silence. "So, um, what are you doing here? We weren't expecting anyone from your side."

"I was hoping to talk to your Agent Broyles."

Olivia frowned. "Okay. Why?"

We…well, I, mostly." Liv stopped, clearly trying to collect her thoughts. "_We_, Lincoln and I, have noticed that Broyles has been…different, lately. And with the shapeshifter threat, we can't be too careful, y'know?"

Taken aback, Olivia nodded carefully. "No, I suppose you can't. Broyles is in Washington, meeting with the Senate. I'll call him and let him know you're here."

"Thank you."

What Olivia said next surprised her. It just came out, maybe out of gratefulness for Liv's help last night, maybe out of a sense of shared grief, Olivia for her mother and Liv for Rachel, but whatever the case, it had been said. "You know, Lincoln is out of town visiting family, so we're short-handed. If you'd like, I could really use your help with the case I'm working on."

Liv looked surprised and a grin spread across her face. "Did you just ask for help? Did _you_ just ask _me_ for help? I am in!"

...

"This is a bad idea."

Liv glanced at her alternate and laughed. "C'mon, we talked about this. We'll just say we're twins, it'll be fine." Liv reached out and lightly backhanded Olivia's shoulder. "Hey, what should my name be? I was thinking 'Joan.' Joan Dunham." Liv snorted at the thought.

Her alternate's lips twitched. Was she hiding a smile or a frown? It was so hard to tell. "Just…stay in the car, alright?"

Liv let out a mock-exasperated sigh. "Ohhh, fine. I'll wait here. If the guy comes running out the back, I'll be ready." Liv made her hands into fists and threw a couple of small punches.

This time, Liv was sure Olivia was biting back a smile. Olivia got out of the car and headed toward the suspect's house. Liv watched her go. She had regained her composure. Her back was straight, her stride confident, and she cut an excellent and imposing figure in that suit. Liv had never been able to carry herself that well in those outfits. They were too tight, too confining, but while she watched her alternate move in it, she wished she had been able to pull it off. She looked hot.

Liv slid across the front of the car into the driver's seat. Time passed and she started to get impatient. She switched the radio on and flipped through the channels, hoping to stumble across some U2.

While she was fiddling with the radio, she heard a shout. Liv's head shot up as glass shattered across the street. A man had jumped out the window of the suspect's house. As he rolled to his feet and began to sprint down the street, Liv jumped out of the car and drew her gun.

"Hey, stop right there!" He twisted around and fired a couple rounds at her. Liv ducked behind Olivia's Nissan. Broken glass rained down on her. When the shots stopped, Liv glanced over the hood of the car, searching for the suspect. She didn't see him.

Liv heard another shout. Olivia was racing down the street after him, gesturing for Liv to go a different way. Liv nodded and dashed the way Olivia had pointed. After a few moments of running, she saw him. He was heading toward a footbridge that spanned the Charles River. Liv fired a couple of shots toward him, but he was too far away even for her to hit.

Liv continued after him. She was a fast runner and she could tell that his energy was flagging. She was gaining on him. Liv saw Olivia converging on him as well. It looked like they were going to get to him at about the same time. Liv stepped it up, pushing herself harder. Her lungs were on fire and her thighs ached.

The man was halfway across the bridge when Liv reached him. Olivia was still several feet behind. Liv launched herself at the suspect, tackling him at the waist. Her momentum slammed him into the bridge's railing. He whipped around, blood streaming from his forehead. They struggled for a moment. He was strong, surprisingly strong, unusually strong, and suddenly Liv was flying over the railing.

...

Olivia skidded to a halt as she watched her alternate be heaved over the side of the bridge. The man they were chasing turned to her. Blood covered most of his face, but behind that red curtain, Olivia could see shifting features and translucent skin.

Chest heaving, Olivia raised her gun and shouted, "Don't move!" The shapeshifter grinned with blood-coated teeth. Never taking her eyes off of him, Olivia moved to the railing. "Get down on the ground!" Olivia quickly glanced over the side. She could see the spot in the river where Liv had landed, but she saw no other sign of her. Olivia turned back to the shapeshifter, who hadn't moved. "I said _get down!_"

He laughed, then said, "You're partner is going to die. I smashed her head against the wall before I tossed her over. So you've got a choice. Handcuff me and let her die, or save her and let me go."

Olivia suddenly flashed back to the time she had let Newton go to save Walter. Her hesitation had nearly cost Walter his life. She didn't hesitate this time, but she also had more options. She fired three shots into the shapeshifter's head and launched herself over the bridge railing.

The water hit her like a wall of ice. Olivia kicked off her shoes and pulled herself to the surface. The current wasn't too fast, fortunately, so there was a chance. Olivia swam downstream, frantically looking around her for a sign of Liv. Nothing. She dove back under. Water stung her eyes as Olivia peered into the murky, ink-black water. A shaft of sunlight broke through the clouds and pierced the river, and Olivia caught sight of her alternate's flaming hair.

Liv was several yards away and deeper down. Olivia swam to the surface, gasped in two deep breaths, and dove back in. Olivia was a strong swimmer, so it didn't take long for her to reach Liv. She wrapped her arms around Liv's stomach and pulled her up. They broke the surface of the river, and Olivia dragged them both back to shore.

Olivia hauled Liv up the river bank and laid her flat on the ground. "Okay, okay, Liv, can you hear me?" Olivia cupped her alternate's face in her hands and gently shook her. No response. Olivia held her ear to Liv's throat, hoping to hear air inhalation. There was nothing. Olivia's heart dropped. "Shit, shit. Okay."

Olivia began pounding on Liv's chest: "One, two, three, four, five." Then she pinched Liv's nostrils shut and pressed her lips against her alternate's, pushing air into Liv's lungs. When their lips met, Olivia felt a charge. Shocked, both literally and figuratively, she pulled back and touched her lips, which were still tingling. Beneath her, Liv sucked in a huge breath and began coughing.

...

Water spilled out of her mouth during a coughing fit that tore at her throat. Liv found herself lying on her back. She was soaking wet, freezing, and her head was pounding. Her shirt and jacket were hiked up to her breasts, leaving her stomach exposed, and her lips felt as though they'd been struck by lightning.

Liv looked above her, and through a cloud of breath vapor, she saw Olivia. Her alter's blonde hair was wet and plastered to her skull. Olivia's arms were wrapped around her shoulders, and when Liv started shaking from the cold, Olivia pressed her closer, cradling Liv to her chest.

"You're okay, you're okay."

Olivia was smiling down at her, and Liv could hear the relief in Olivia's voice. "Wh—what happened?"

"It was a shapeshifter, he threw you in the river."

"And you saved me. You jumped in, and you saved me."

"Of course. You're my partner, even if just for today, and I am _sick_ and _tired_ of my partners dying."

Liv laughed, and her body began to shake even more. Above her, Olivia began laughing too, a laugh that choked back sobs.


	3. Chapter 3

Today had been exhausting. Leaving out the fact that Olivia had gotten very little sleep the night before, had had to deal with her alternate, which was always energy consuming, and had chased after a shapeshifter on foot, she'd still had a day worthy of several shots of whiskey, a long hot shower, and blissful and immediate sleep. Olivia had jumped off a bridge to save a woman she wasn't even really sure she liked, had spent the following hours going over the events with about a thousand times with Boston PD and the FBI, and, still wet, had tried to figure out where the shapeshifter had gone. Who knew that three headshots weren't enough to kill the damn things?

Now she was home. She'd already downed two glasses of whiskey, but the hot shower was going to have to wait. Olivia Dunham, the _other_ one, apparently shared _her_ penchant for steaming, lavishly long showers because she'd been in the bathroom for well over half an hour. Olivia couldn't really begrudge Liv that; her alternate had had a pretty rough day too, but this was getting ridiculous. And the hot water was probably running out.

Olivia began to pace, chewing on her thumb. Should she knock on the door? Ask Liv to hurry up? _Demand_ Liv hurry up? Just wait it out? Olivia wasn't used to feeling so uncertain. These kinds of decisions should be easy, _were_ easy, especially compared to the ones she faced at work. Yet Liv complicated everything.

It was easy to see why. They were literally the same person, and just being in the same building, let alone universe, as her alternate contradicted the laws of the natural world. Even a year after knowing about the other universe and the other Olivia Dunham, Olivia still had trouble wrapping her mind around the implications.

And yet, though they shared the same, exact genetic makeup, they were so different. In fact, they were so different that Olivia still had a hard time understanding how her team, her _friends_, had mistaken Liv for Olivia. Sure, Liv was a good actress with plenty of material to work with, but she was looser, more relaxed. She had no trouble asserting herself, engaged in playful banter with her coworkers, and was quick to smile and to laugh.

Olivia was the complete opposite. She was well aware of this, and she often wondered, especially when face-to-face with Liv, if being so aware of her flaws actually made them harder to shake off.

But all that was beside the point. The point was that Olivia wanted to take a shower.

Finally, Olivia braced herself and knocked on the bathroom door. "Are you almost done?" There was no answer. Olivia waited a few seconds, then tried again. "Olivia. Liv?" Still nothing. "Are you okay?" After a moment of hesitation, Olivia tried the knob. It was unlocked. Slowly, she pushed the door open.

The shower was still running and the bathroom had been transformed into a sauna. Olivia's clothes quickly started sticking to her skin.

"Liv?" Olivia approached the shower, feeling a little sick to her stomach. Endless, horrific scenarios ran through her mind, and Liv had taken a pretty bad knock to the head…

What would it be like, Olivia wondered, to find herself dead? Olivia pushed those thoughts back, and, like pulling off a bandaid, whipped the shower curtain open.

Her alternate sat in the tub, legs pulled up to her chin, face pressed into her knees. Liv's skin was noticeably wrinkled from the water, and her hair had turned into curly, dark brown tangles that cascaded down her body.

Olivia furrowed her brow, baffled by what she saw. She knelt down in front of Liv, reaching across her alternate to turn off the water. Liv's face jerked up, surprised. Her eyes met Olivia's, the same, green-gold pools of liquid that Olivia saw in the mirror every day.

Tentatively, Olivia put her hand on Liv's knee. It was very warm. Olivia imagined that her hand must feel like an ice cube on Liv's flesh. "What's wrong?"

Liv didn't take her eyes off of Olivia's face. "I almost died today. In fact, I probably was dead." Liv chuckled softly, a sardonic grin on her face. "You'd think that I'd be used to that by now. My job—our job—it happens. You get shot at every day, you get infected with some insane toxin, whatever" Liv's eyes searched Olivia's as she spoke. "I've seen _thousands_ of people die, some in truly horrific ways. I'm responsible for ambering entire city blocks. Death is every day for people like you and me. And yet, today…today it got to me. I've been in worse situations. There've been times when I was sure I was going to die. So why is this different? I don't understand."

And then Liv completely broke down, her body racked by sobs. The whole situation had already taken Olivia completely by surprise, but this was almost unbelievable. Olivia had no idea what to do, let alone say, to comfort Liv.

Olivia crawled into the tub with Liv, wrapping her arms around Liv's body. It felt like the river bank all over again, Olivia Dunham hugging a wet and shaking Olivia Dunham.

This time, Liv reciprocated. She reached across Olivia's shoulders, clinging to her neck as though it was her only lifeline, her face buried in Olivia's collarbone.

Olivia softly caressed Liv's back, making hushed, soothing noises to try and calm Liv down. They remained like that for a long time. Olivia pondered how far they'd come, the two of them; from hesitant distrust to outright animosity, from reluctant coworkers and allies to sorority sisters. It was insane.

As she sat there holding Liv, Olivia began to rethink her previous assessment. Perhaps, deep down, the two were more alike than they or anyone else realized. Olivia called to mind something Lincoln had told her just a few weeks ago, that Liv had just gone through a nasty break-up. Maybe this, compounded by the day's traumas and the fact that Liv was in a different universe had caused this. Maybe Liv had just been keeping it bottled up too long. Olivia wondered how long she herself had kept things repressed, wondered if maybe she, too, was due for a breakdown.

Abruptly, Liv stopped crying, disentangled herself from Olivia, and rose to her feet. For the first time, it truly hit Olivia that Liv was completely naked. And still wet.


	4. Chapter 4

Clearly, Liv had needed a good cry. Sure, maybe it hadn't been the best time or place—Liv had never imagined that she'd have a sob fest in the other Olivia's bathroom—but it had felt damn good.

Wiping her face, Liv stepped out of the bathtub. Water streamed down her body and started to pool on the bathroom tiles. Olivia got up as well. The bottom of her pants and the back of her shirt were soaked. Olivia's eyes were carefully averted from Liv's body, a blush creeping up her neck.

Liv couldn't help it, she laughed. Her alternate had just hugged Liv's wet, nude body for at least an hour, and now she couldn't even look at it. Not to mention she'd seen this—their—body countless times in the past.

"What, you don't ever look at yourself in the mirror naked?" Olivia didn't answer. It was clear that she desperately wanted to get out of the bathroom, but Liv was blocking her way. Taking her time, Liv wiped herself down with a towel. "You should probably get out of those clothes. You must be freezing."

Olivia rubbed her forehead then ran her hand through her hair, a nervous habit they both shared. "Well, I would, but I can't get out." The comment was very pointed.

Again, Liv couldn't hold back a chuckle. "Relax! Don't be so uptight. Here." Dropping the towel, Liv spread her arms open. Her body was now completely on display.

If Liv had been trying to get a rise out of Olivia, she would have felt very accomplished at that moment. This time, however, Liv was just utterly flabbergasted by how prudish Olivia was being.

Olivia's cheeks were bright red now, her eyes fixed on the floor. "What are you doing?"

"What I am _doing_ is trying to get you to _relax_. Clearly, it's hopeless." Liv grabbed her towel and wrapped it around her body. She turned to leave the bathroom, then stopped, a question bubbling up her throat. "Can I ask you something?"

Olivia met her eyes. Her jaw was squared, hands crossed against her chest. "Okay." Her chin jutted up, as though Olivia had decided this was a challenge.

"You're probably gonna want to slap me for asking this, but when was the last time you got any?"

"You're right, I do want to slap you."

"No, I'm serious." Liv studied Olivia. She was in her defensive mode, closed off, unreachable. Liv sighed, frustrated by Olivia's distance, her inability to talk about her feelings. "Look, you're not 15 anymore. We can talk about things like this, no one's judging."

Olivia's eyes remained guarded, but her shoulders relaxed a little. "It's been over a year," she admitted.

"Jesus, seriously?" Liv couldn't believe it. "God, no wonder you're tense. I've been without Frank for a couple of weeks and I'm already dying." Liv shook her head, staring at Olivia. "Why?"

"I don't know. I'm busy with work, so I don't have time to go boyfriend-hunting, and on the rare occasions I do have free time, I'd rather be alone." She broke off, then continued after a few moments. "And…and I feel like…when I think about being with someone, it feels like betrayal." Her hands spread out in a gesture of confusion. "I don't know why."

Liv frowned, trying to understand. "John Scott died over three years ago. And besides, you don't need a boyfriend to have sex." She approached Olivia, grabbed her shoulders, and pulled her in front of the bathroom mirror. "Look at you, you're gorgeous, and I don't mean that in conceited way. You are _hot_. Guys will get in a line. Go out, get drunk, and get laid!"

Their eyes met in the mirror. Liv brushed Olivia's golden hair to one side of her neck. It was still a little damp from sitting in the shower. Olivia said nothing, but Liv could see the doubt in her eyes.

"You don't think you are, do you?" Liv whispered it into Olivia's ears, and she began to rub the back of Olivia's neck, working at the tightness bottled up there. Color was once again rising into Olivia's cheeks, and Liv could feel warmth spread across her own body as well. "You're an idiot then."

They had not broken eye contact, and tension was building between the two. They were two objects that should never touch, and yet right now, they couldn't be closer. Liv's body was pressed against Olivia's. She wrapped her free arm around Olivia's waist, pulling her closer. Olivia was stiff in her arms, but as Liv continued to massage her neck, she began to unwind.

"What are you doing?" Olivia whispered in a low, husky voice.

Liv didn't answer. A familiar feeling was blooming below her stomach, and suddenly Liv wasn't quite sure what she was doing, either. Her breath caught in her throat, and, still embracing Olivia, Liv got very, very still.

They were at an impasse. Neither Olivia wanted to make the first move, whatever that move might be. So they stood there, in front of the mirror, watching each other. Looking _into_ each other.

_..._

_Hot_, Liv had called her. And Olivia was hot; her entire body felt as though it were on fire. But she didn't know why. Warmth spread from the spots where her body touched Liv's, but it also came from within her. Olivia couldn't decide whether that heat was caused by a sudden surge of passion or a combination of fear and shame. Olivia was incredibly confused.

She thought back to that moment on the river bank when she had given Liv CPR. When their lips had touched, there had been an intense flow of energy between the two, a spark that had ignited Olivia in a way she hadn't felt in a very long time. Olivia was feeling that again, and it stirred a desire in her. _Desire_. Lust for an alternate version of _herself_.

Almost imperceptibly, Liv began to tighten her hold on Olivia's stomach. Olivia's heart rate increased and her breathing became shallower. In the mirror, Olivia saw Liv smile. Liv's other hand left Olivia's neck and traced a meandering line down her back until she reached the hem of Olivia's pants.

Olivia went stiff, barely breathing. She didn't know why she was so paralyzed. What was wrong with her? What the hell was going on? She could stop it all, Olivia knew that. She could break free, and her alternate would laugh it off, as though it had all been a big joke.

_Was_ Liv playing with her, poking at Olivia's weaknesses, trying to illicit a reaction? Twenty-four hours ago, Olivia would have been positive that's what this was, but so many things had changed since then. Now, Olivia was sure that Liv wouldn't play with her like this. But if that wasn't what was happening, then what the hell was and why didn't it feel wrong?

Liv's hand slipped under Olivia's sweats. It was a slow, careful movement, as though Olivia was a wild animal that would dash away at the slightest hint of sudden movement.

Olivia couldn't breathe anymore, and the heat inside her was growing. It was definitely desire, Olivia could no longer hide that fact from herself. Nor, apparently, could she hide it from her alter.

"Is this what you want?" Liv asked her. She started to gently nibble at Olivia's ear, flicking her tongue against the bottom of Olivia's earlobe.

It was a good question. To want something like this, you'd have to either be a complete sexual daredevil or very emotionally damaged. Olivia knew which category she fell under and could guess what Liv's was, too. Knowing that something was fucked up, however, was different than caring that it was fucked up, especially when it felt so good.

And what was the harm, really? No risk of pregnancy or STDs. She was in a safe environment—she knew Liv would stop if Olivia got cold feet partway through—,and it wasn't as though their working relationship could be much worse after this than it was when the bridge was first created. More awkward, yes, but surely that was better than the utter enmity they'd had for each other originally. And it had been _so_ _long_.

So what the hell. "Yes," Olivia breathed.

...

Liv didn't surprise easily. She hadn't been surprised when Frank had broken up with her, nor had she been at all shocked when Lincoln had kissed her one night after a long day. But this stunned her.

_Is this what you want?_ Liv had asked, stroking Olivia's stomach, hand inching down the back of her pants. And, against all her expectations, Olivia had answered _yes_.

Liv didn't waste any time. She spun Olivia around so they were face to face. Olivia's face was so red that Liv could practically feel heat emanate from it. They looked at each other for a moment, then came together.

Their lips met and there was a pleasant shock, as though an electrical current had run between them. Their bodies fit together perfectly, pieces of a puzzle. Liv dropped her towel to the floor and kicked it out of the way, arm reaching around Olivia to pull her even closer. Olivia went with it, putting her hands to Liv's cheeks and pushing the two of them against the door.

Liv gasped into Olivia's mouth at the impact, then laughed. They broke apart, frantically coming up for air. Both of their chests were heaving.

Liv pressed herself against Olivia again, this time her mouth going for Olivia's neck. While she showered it with kisses, Liv's hands worked at Olivia's shirt, sliding it up her back. Olivia raised her arms above her head, and Liv finally managed to get Olivia's shirt off.

Olivia's torso was covered in a sheen of sweat. Liv crouched down, grinning up at her alternate's flushed face. She nuzzled her nose against Olivia's belly button then slid her tongue farther down, stopping when it met Olivia's pants. Olivia's was breathing loudly, her stomach muscles fluttering against Liv's face.

Liv grabbed the hem of Olivia's pants and ripped them off. Olivia was gracious enough to step out of them.

She stood back up and faced her alternate. Smirking, Liv said, "Doesn't seem fair that one of us is completely naked and the other isn't."

A sly smile slid across Olivia's face. Slowly, tantalizingly, Olivia reached behind her and undid her bra snaps. Watching Liv closely, she let the bra drop to the ground. She repeated the enticing performance with her underwear. "That better?"

Not quite speechless, Liv murmured, "Much."


	5. Chapter 5

_Hey guys! Hope you've liked the read so far. This chapter contains quite a lot of smut, so if that bothers you, I would probably suggest not reading it :)_

_Also—this is the first time I've EVER written any kind of direct, play-by-play smut, so *please* let me know whether you not you think I pulled it off half-decently._

_Reviews/comments are basically the best thing ever, so good or bad, please let me know what you thought! Hope you enjoy the chapter!_

….

They stumbled out of the bathroom and into Olivia's bedroom, unwilling to let their lips break apart. Somewhere along the way, Liv had taken the lead, pushing Olivia to the bed. Olivia let herself fall onto her back and stared up at her flame-kissed lover.

Liv's hair fell over her face like a fiery curtain, and as she lowered herself onto Olivia, it brushed against her shoulders and breasts. Olivia reached up and ran her fingers through the silky strands, brushing the bangs away from Liv's sweaty forehead.

Olivia pulled Liv's face down to hers, and their lips met again, tongues dancing with each other gently until Liv broke free, biting Olivia's lower lip lightly before moving down her neck to her chest.

Liv's tongue was soft and warm as it swirled around Olivia's breasts. Olivia sucked in a breath, squeezing her eyes shut, mouth moving soundlessly. Encouraged, Liv slid a hand between Olivia's thighs, and suddenly Olivia lost all awareness of the world around her except for their two entwined bodies and the pleasure that swept over her.

It became a dance, and Liv was the director, pulling Olivia in whatever direction she wanted her to go. Olivia went with it, keeping to the rhythm of Liv's hands, letting go of her control and allowing her body to move freely. She slid her hands around Liv's waist, stroking her alternate's stomach, which was both soft and firm at the same time. Above her, Liv kept moving, mouth working at Olivia's breasts, tongue flitting out teasingly, one hand still occupied between Olivia's legs.

Olivia moaned. She could feel the pressure building to a crescendo inside her; her whole body quivered under Liv's ministrations. Before Olivia could reach her climax, Liv eased back, and Olivia gasped as the waves of bliss shooting up her body slowly subsided. It was almost painful. She desperately wanted release, but Liv refused to give it to her. Instead, she slipped her fingers out and replaced them with her thigh, nudging Olivia's legs further apart while moving her hand to cup a breast.

"Don't stop," Olivia whispered, fingernails digging into Liv's back. "Please." Her voice was tinged with desperation.

Chuckling softly, Liv answered "Soon enough," then lowered her mouth onto Olivia's, muting any protests Olivia might have uttered.

For Olivia, however, 'soon enough' was not soon enough. Frustrated, she pressed hard against Liv's lips, teeth catching her tongue, biting just hard enough to elicit a gasp, and then ground her hips against Liv's knee. Liv responded in kind, thrusting against Olivia, her hand slipping back below Olivia's abdomen.

Olivia cried out involuntarily at that, her back arching, body straining against Liv's, physically mimicking the climax rising inside of her. Olivia's nails dug into Liv's flesh where she clutched her and sank her teeth into Liv's shoulder, stifling a second cry.

When the release came, Olivia felt as though she was suspended in time. Her body was on fire, ecstasy permeating every cell, every atom. It was pleasure like she had never experienced. She lost herself in it, her breath gone, mind stolen, heart stopped. And then she fell.

It took Olivia several moments to pull herself back together. She was lying flat on the bed, Liv on top of her. Her body was coated in sweat and her muscles ached. At one point, tears had welled out of her eyes and down her temples, dampening her hair. A warm lethargy descended upon her, so it was an unpleasant shock when Liv rolled away, exposing Olivia's body to the cold.

Next to her, Liv stretched, cat-like, and then turned to look at Olivia, a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth. "I didn't picture you as biter." She rubbed at her right shoulder.

Olivia turned on her side and nuzzled up against Liv. "Let me fix that." Keeping her eyes fixed on Liv's, she softly kissed the marks her teeth had left. "That better?" she whispered.

"Mmm. Almost. You know what would really make me feel better?"

"What?"

Liv smiled again, cupped Olivia's cheek in her hand, and leaned in for kiss. It lasted a long time. When they finally broke apart, Olivia was beginning to feel chilled from the sweat cooling on her body. Somewhat awkwardly, Olivia and Liv slid under the covers. Olivia pressed herself against Liv, curving her body to frame Liv's and enfolding her in her arms. Liv clutched Olivia's hands to her chest and nestled more closely against her. Olivia's last thought before drifting to sleep was how good Liv smelled, like coconut and lime.

...

Liv awoke to banging. Groggily, she propped herself up on one elbow, briefly confused by her surroundings. Next to her lay Olivia, sprawled on her stomach, face turned toward Liv's side of the bed. The sheets came up only to her waist, leaving her naked back visible. And suddenly, it all came back.

Before she was able to fully wrap her head around what the hell had happened last night, she heard her name shouted, muffled, and then a click as Olivia's apartment door opened.

_Shit!_ _Shit, holy shit!_ Liv glanced at Olivia, then at the door to Olivia's bedroom, then Olivia, then back to the door. Frantically, she looked around for her clothes, and then slapped her hand to her forehead when she realized that _both_ sets of their clothes lay scattered on the bathroom floor.

"Olivia!" There were footsteps moving around outside.

It was Lincoln. It was already light outside, so he must be checking on his partner, worried that something was wrong. He'd probably already called her cell multiple times.

"Uh, Lincoln, will you give me a sec?" she yelled. Liv scrunched her face nervously, then added, "I'm not decent."

She looked back at the bed and the sleeping Olivia. How could she possibly be sleeping through this? Liv thought about that again and realized what a stupid question that was. She knew perfectly well why Olivia was still fast asleep.

"Oh, um. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, just, uh, hold on." Liv quickly raided Olivia's dresser, pulling on a black tank-top and a pair of shorts. Forcing herself to relax and act casually, Liv opened the door just enough so that she could slip through, then firmly shut it behind her. "What's up?"

Lincoln turned to face her and visibly started. "Agen-Agent Dunham. I wasn't expecting you," he stuttered.

"Uh, yeah." Liv raised her hands in a nervous shrug before slapping them against her thighs. "Olivia—your Olivia—I think she went for a jog, or something." _Lame fucking excuse, Liv, get your act together_.

Lincoln blinked. "That's, um, that's unusual. I mean, usually she takes her phone with her." He adjusted his glasses, clearly uncomfortable and confused. He was so unlike his alternate. She hated to think it, but _dorky_ was the best way to describe him, whereas _her_ Lincoln at least maintained some sort of semblance of cool despite his science degree. At least this Lincoln had gotten rid of the blocky glasses he used to wear.

"Oh, right. She left it with me in case I needed it. I don't think she planned on being gone long." Liv met his eyes and cocked her head, allowing a small grin to slide across her face. It was remarkably easy to make him uncomfortable. Right now, he was ducking his head and pinching his nose while _literally_ shifting from foot to foot. "Was it important?"

"No. No, not important. I was worried, that's all. I heard about the day she—both if you—had yesterday, and when she didn't answer…"

…_you were ready to come riding in on your white horse to save her,_ Liv finished his thought in her head. In that respect, at least, he was exactly like his alternate. "I'll let her know you dropped by when she gets back." As she spoke, Liv ushered him to the door. "So do you have a key to her place, or what?"

He blushed faintly. "Uh, no." Glancing at his shoes, he continued. "I picked her lock."

"Well, I'm sure she'll be happy to know the lengths you're willing to go in order to help her." With that and brief farewell nod from Lincoln, she shut the door.

Leaning against the door, Liv let out a short, relieved breath. Thinking about it, that had gone about as well as it could have. Olivia had woken up partway through or if Liv hadn't woken up at all…_speaking of which_…

Quietly, Liv walked back to Olivia's bedroom and peaked inside. Olivia hadn't had moved an inch. Her blonde hair fanned out around her face and down her back. It glowed golden in the morning sunlight that streamed through the window. Liv sat down on the bed next to her and ran her thumb across Olivia's cheek, fingers tangling in her hair.

It was funny. When Liv looked down at Olivia, for the first time she saw her as an individual, a person completely separate from Liv herself. The fact that she shared her face came as an afterthought.

The whole situation was absurd, but right now, Liv was unable to think about that. Olivia's face and her own rumbling stomach was enough to distract her. Sighing, Liv finally left Olivia's side and went to make breakfast.


	6. Chapter 6

For the second time in as many days, Olivia woke up to the smell of coffee. And, for the second time in as many days, it took her a few moments to remember why. She was lying face down on her bed, hair spread around her like a halo. The bed was remarkably comfortable, and all Olivia wanted to do was slip back into sleep. She was so warm. Also, she was completely naked. And then Olivia remembered.

It was as though a bucket of cold water had been dumped on her. Olivia pushed herself up and flung herself off the bed and to her feet. She stood there for a while, unable to move, her mind frozen.

Outside the bedroom, Olivia heard footsteps approaching the door and she snapped out of it. There wasn't enough time to get dressed, and the last thing Olivia wanted to do was face Liv—the woman with whom she'd had sex last night—while naked. Instead, Olivia climbed back onto the bed, slipped under the sheet, and pretended to be asleep.

She was just in time. As soon as she closed her eyes and steadied her breathing, the door cracked open. Olivia hoped that Liv couldn't see the tension in Olivia's bare shoulders. After what seemed like hours, the door shut again and Olivia could relax.

Olivia wasn't the type to hide, but right now, all she wanted to do was crawl under the bed and stay there forever. Or better yet, sink into the floor. Come to think of it, that might actually be possible. She'd have to talk to Walter.

She rolled onto her back and buried her face in her hands. What the hell had she been thinking last night? Why the hell _hadn't_ she been thinking? Olivia had let her emotions take over, had let them control her actions. She knew that she acted emotionally sometimes; it had gotten her in trouble before. But nothing like this. She'd had sex with Liv. _She_ had had _sex_, with _Liv_. _Olivia. Dunham_. Herself.

Okay, so that wasn't quite true. It was more complicated than that. Yes, they shared the same name, face, DNA, fingerprints, and aspects of their personality, but they weren't the same person. Not really.

Olivia couldn't wrap her mind around it. She wondered what the agency shrink would say. Nothing good, that was sure.

Thinking about it was getting her nowhere, so Olivia pushed it out of her mind, compartmentalizing it so that she could deal with it later.

She got dressed quickly, afraid that at any moment Liv would burst in on her. She wore her usual suit, but under it she put on three separate layers: a camisole, then a tank-top, then her blouse. The more fabric she put on, the better she felt.

Olivia stayed in her room for some time, not wanting to deal with the aftermath of last night's decisions. But, unfortunately, she couldn't hide forever. Squaring her shoulders, she left the bedroom.

Liv was sipping a cup of coffee in the kitchen, staring at nothing. When Olivia entered the room, her eyes snapped up and met hers for a brief second before quickly slipping away. She put her coffee mug down, the resounding clack the only thing to break the silence for several moments.

This time, Liv spoke first. "So."

Olivia didn't look at her. Head turned to the side, she wiped the corner of her eye, then said, "I know we have to talk about this. I understand that. But…I just, I need time to think."

Olivia was intensely aware of her body as she spoke. She was hot, and it wasn't just because of all the layers she was wearing. Her skin was flushed from a mix of shame, guilt, fear, and…something else, something Olivia couldn't admit she felt. She glanced sidelong at Liv, hoping that she wasn't able to see what Olivia was trying to hide. But when she looked at her alternate, that thought flew out of her mind. Liv was glowing.

Stepping backward, Olivia turned to face Liv full on, hands dropping to her side in surprise. A golden corona tugged at the contours of Liv's body and face, a glimmer that was unworldly and unnatural. A wave of déjà vu swept over Olivia, leaving her light-headed, vision blackening.

Through the strange haze, Olivia could see Liv smile uncertainly, concerned and confused. Olivia backed away, pressing her hand to her forehead. In her mind's eye, she was flashing back to…something, a time she had seen that glimmer before. But, like a fading dream, the harder she tried to clutch at the image, the more it slipped away.

"Are you okay?" Liv asked softly, approaching Olivia slowly.

"Fine, I'm fine." Olivia put a hand up, keeping Liv at arm's length. "Just a headache again."

"Can I get you something, your medicine?"

"No, it's fine. It's nothing." Olivia's vision cleared and when she looked at Liv again, the glimmer was gone. The concern in her alternate's eyes briefly made Olivia feel sick. She didn't like pity. "We should get going. It's late."

The ride to Walter's lab was possibly the most awkward experience of Olivia's life. Liv sat next to her silently, staring out the window and playing with her fingers.

"You can put on some music, if you'd like." _Please_, Olivia added silently. Anything, even U2, would be better than this horrible silence.

Liv looked at her but made no move to turn on the radio. "Lincoln stopped by this morning," she said abruptly. "He was looking for you, worried because you weren't answering your phone."

Olivia's tightened her grip on the steering wheel, knuckles turning white. "Did he…uh. What happened?"

"I got rid of him. You know, he actually picked your lock. I don't think it took him too long, either. You might want to see a locksmith."

"What did you tell him?"

"I said you were on a run, and that you'd left your phone with me in case I needed it."

Relieved, Olivia nodded. "Good, that's good." She glanced over at Liv, who had turned back to the window. There was silence again, for a time.

A few minutes later, Liv broke it. Her hands were pressed against her thighs, and when she spoke she didn't look at Olivia.

"I know what you're doing. I know because that's what I was doing this morning. You're making it too complicated. It's not. We had sex, that's all. It doesn't matter that, that we're both women, and it doesn't matter than we are the same woman. Because we're not. So just, stop. Alright?"

"It's not that simple. What we—"

"_Nothing_ is ever simple for you! We were both lonely and we both needed someone to help us feel like we were not. And you enjoyed it, I know you did."

It was true, she had enjoyed it. Last night had been perhaps the best sex of her life. And she felt better. Putting the current tension between her and Liv aside, Olivia was relaxed and well-rested, two things she hadn't been in a long time. Maybe Liv was right. Maybe it didn't have to be complicated.

When Olivia said nothing, Liv exhaled angrily. "You don't get to be mad at me. Not this time, not for this. You made your choice."

"Look, I'm not mad. I'm just, I'm confused and I need more time to think about it. But I'm not mad." Olivia pulled over. "We're here." Neither one made a move to get out of the car. "Let's just put this aside for now, alright?"

"Alright."

In the lab, Walter and Peter were hard at work trying to make the Machine respond to Peter so he could return to his timeline. When the two Olivias walked in, Walter began muttering about Mata Hari while shooting Liv dirty looks. Peter, on the other hand, couldn't even look at Liv.

Olivia wondered what the alternate Agent Dunham had done to him where he came from.

"Good morning Olivia, Agent Dunham."

"Hey Astrid, is Broyles in yet?" Olivia asked.

"Not yet, but he should be here soon. Also, Walter's been experimenting with some food today, so I hope you didn't have a big breakfast." Astrid scrunched up her face and waved her hand in front of her nose before heading to Olivia's office with her box of files.

Just a typical day at work. Olivia sighed. Next to her, Liv was studying Peter intently, head cocked to one side.

She turned to Olivia and asked, "So what's his deal? He won't even look at me, yesterday or today."

Olivia shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. Excuse me." Lincoln had been watching the two of them, and Olivia figured she had better go talk to him.

"Hey. So I hear you broke into my apartment this morning." Olivia smiled to let him know she was teasing.

Lincoln let out a small laugh. "Yeah. Sorry about that. I was just worried because you weren't answering your phone, and considering what happened yesterday..." He adjusted his glasses and looked down at the piece of paper he had been reading.

"That's understandable. I should have called in to let you know I would be running late."

There was a strange and awkward, chemistry between the two of them. Olivia could feel it, and she bet Lincoln could as well. She wondered, briefly, what might have happened if she hadn't had a migraine the night of their date at the diner. Might they have started a relationship? Eventually gone home together one night? Had sex?

This train of thought brought Olivia back to the events of last night. At some point during her conversation with Lincoln, Broyles had entered the lab. Liv was talk to him animatedly.

Olivia watched her, studying the way she talked and held herself. She used her hands a lot when she spoke. Olivia wondered if she did as well. She had never thought of that before. Right now, both of Liv's hands were in front of her, palms up, slender fingers spread apart…fingers that had been inside Olivia less than twelve hours ago.

Heat blossomed below Olivia's stomach, spreading up her torso and to her face. The way Liv moved her hands was hypnotic, and Olivia couldn't help but stare. So of course, Liv caught her. When their eyes met, Olivia quickly tore her gaze away and busied herself with some enigmatic gadgets of Walter's.

Lincoln watched her, bemused. "Did you two have a fight or something? Your dynamic, it seems a little off."

"What, we have a dynamic?" Olivia's tone was sharper than she intended it to be.

"Well, yeah. I mean, um," Lincoln stuttered, "usually you're very professional around her. I guess, I don't know."

Olivia looked back at Liv, who was still talking to Broyles. "No, we didn't have a fight." She smiled at Lincoln, hoping to soften her previous remark. "We just…having her stay with me, it's hard to adjust to."

"I can imagine."

Broyles and Liv had stopped talking. Liv was watching Olivia, glancing back and forth between her and Lincoln, while Broyles approached them.

"Dunham. We need to talk." Broyles gave Lincoln a pointed look. Lincoln got the hint and left, leaving Olivia alone with Broyles.

"What's up? Did Agent Dunham talk to you about her Broyles?"

"She did."

"And?" Olivia was very curious to hear what Broyles thought about Liv's theory that her Colonel Broyles might be a shapeshifter.

"That's between Agent Dunham and myself. I heard what happened yesterday. You could have died. And after what that…man said to you, I don't want you in the field at the moment."

"But sir—"

Broyles interrupted, saying "Don't 'but sir' me, Dunham. You're my best agent and the last thing I want is for you to be working on some insignificant case and end up drowning in a river."

"Sir, respectfully, we don't know who these Observers are or what they want, so taking what one of them tells me as _fact_ is—"

"Dunham! That's final. At least for this week, I don't want you in the field, and their Agent Dunham has offered to stay and assist on the case."

Olivia was stunned. "What?"

"Apparently, she doesn't take well to losing in a fight. For now, she and Agent Lee will be taking point on our cases." Broyles paused and dropped his gaze. "I was hoping that while she's here, she could stay with you. I understand that may be asking a lot, but having her stay with you cuts through the red tape surrounding the bridge and saves the agency money and personnel."

Olivia's stomach dropped at that. If Liv stayed with her, Olivia would be unable to avoid thinking about what happened, would be unable to hide from the consequences of the previous night. But she couldn't tell Broyles that. "Sure, that—that's fine."


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: **__Sorry about the long wait for this. School and work have basically taken over my life since last spring. When I finally had the time to write, my inspiration for the story had abandoned me and I hit a writer's block wall. _

_Sadly, I never really got over that wall. But I am continuing and plan to finish, even if it takes another 5 months or more. Unfortunately, I don't think the rest of the story will be of the same quality of the first parts, so if you thought those were crap I can't imagine what you'll think of this chapter. I hope you stick with it, though. _

_Warning: this chapter is basically all smut, so read at your own risk. _

_P.S.- please ignore my shitty excuse for a "fringe" case. Yeah._

_...  
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"Have you found anything?" Lincoln called out from the other room.

"Nothing. At least nothing useful. He does have a really…impressive…magazine collection though." Liv answered. "You?"

"Nothing." Lincoln joined her in the shapeshifter's bedroom. "I don't understand. What would a shapeshifter want with Jim..." Lincoln checked his notes again, "…_Smith_. I mean, I don't think this guy could be more boring and unimportant if he'd tried. Janitor at a small elementary school, no girlfriend, no friends. It doesn't add up."

Liv shrugged. "Maybe he got the wrong guy?"

Lincoln pursed his lips and shook his head. "I don't think so. Since when do these things make mistakes?"

"Well, there are a lot of Jim Smith's out there. Going after them one by one?" Liv flipped through the Smith's mail absentmindedly.

"That shapeshifter really beat you up yesterday, didn't it?"

A little surprised, Liv turned to Lincoln and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, this morning, you were wearing a tank-top and I saw the scratches and cuts on your back and shoulder."

"Oh, right." A blush crept up Liv's face as she thought about what had _really_ left those marks. She flashed back to the previous night. It was like she was there again, in bed, Olivia moving below her, teeth sunk into Liv's shoulder and fingernails raking Liv's back. Unconsciously, Liv pressed her hand to her shoulder.

"Don't worry, we'll get him." Lincoln checked his cell. Frowning impatiently, he held his phone up in the air, searching for signal. "I've only got one bar. Don't suppose you have a phone with you?"

Shaking her head, Liv said, "Nope. What cellphone company do you have? I think Agent Dunham uses Sprint, which she seems to like. I don't know why your side doesn't just adopt our phone tech—there are never any dead zones."

Lincoln gave up, pocketing his phone. "Do you really think the shapeshifter survived three headshots? Olivia and I took down a pair of them without too much trouble."

"You're saying you think he had help? Someone who dragged the body away before we could get to it?"

Lincoln nodded grimly. "Either way, we're gonna get the son-of-a-bitch."

...

Olivia needed a shower. She'd never gotten the chance last night—_other_ things had gotten in the way—and this morning the last thing she had wanted was to be hot, wet, and naked while Liv was still in the apartment, no matter how much she'd wanted to wash away the river and sex stink that was all over her. So she had left work early, pleading fatigue and the onset of a headache. There were few times when Olivia was grateful for her migraines, but this was one of them.

She stripped slowly, peeling off the many layers she had been so eager to put on this morning. Olivia stretched as she waited for the shower to heat up, looking at herself in the mirror. Light flashed in front of her eyes, and suddenly Liv appeared naked behind her, nibbling at Olivia's ear. Olivia closed her eyes, trying to force the image away.

Sweat trickled down her back between her shoulders and beaded on her forehead as the steam from the shower built up. A fog was slowly creeping over the mirror, obscuring the image of Liv standing behind her, but it couldn't erase the heat that was spreading over her body. Olivia arched her back and rolled her shoulders, wanting the warmth to relax her shoulders the way Liv had the night before.

Olivia remembered the way Liv had massaged her neck, working away the tension that had been built up there for so long. It had felt so good.

She tore herself away from the mirror and stepped into the shower. She gasped softly; the water was hotter than she had expected.

She shampooed and conditioned her hair first. Liv had brought her own hair products and had left them in the tub. Olivia decided to use them even though they were color-protecting. They smelled of lime and coconuts, just like Liv had, and the scent triggered her memory, taking her back to the night before.

Olivia cradled Liv in her arms. Her alternate smelled so good, and she was so warm. Olivia's hand slid down her wet abdomen and between her thighs. Her back arched and she tilted her face into the stream of water. Her other hand braced itself against the shower wall.

Liv was on top of her, her warmth was the water from the shower, and her hand replaced Olivia's own. Olivia's mouth moved silently, catching drops of water and Liv's tongue simultaneously. Everything smelled of Liv; she was in Olivia's skin, her hair…everything.

A year ago, Olivia had confided to Astrid soon after returning home, to her universe, that she didn't want to live in her apartment anymore. Liv had tainted everything: she'd been in her home, her clothes, her bed, her car, and it had been awful…but now Olivia reveled in Liv's closeness, _wanted_ Liv to be everywhere.

The water had grown tepid, but Olivia had only gotten warmer. Heat flushed her cheeks and neck, and her body shuddered against her hand as her fingers moved faster and faster. Pleasure shot through Olivia in waves, and what started as a breezy day turned into a storm; the waves came faster and harder and higher, and before long Olivia had reached her peak.

Olivia shuddered, legs shaking, and collapsed against the wall. She rested for a few moments, trying to catch her breath. After a few moments, Olivia pushed herself back up and continued showering, all the while thinking of Liv and her flaming hair.

Rubbing her neck, Liv slowly approached Olivia's apartment door. She'd realized right after Lincoln had pulled away after dropping her off that she didn't have a key. Which meant that she would have to knock.

...

Liv sighed as she stared at the door. _What to do, what to do.._. She wished Lincoln had come up with her; he could have picked the lock. _Well, there's no way around it._ She rapped softly on the door three times and waited.

Several moments later, the door swung open. Olivia stood in front of her, wearing sweats and a tank-top, hair slightly damp. No bra. Liv blushed. Olivia stepped aside, gesturing for Liv to come in. She slipped by Olivia, trying to not to think about the way Olivia looked in that tank, which meant she had to not think at all.

When Liv was safely inside, Olivia shut and latched the door and turned to face her alternate. Not quite certain what to do and feeling uncomfortable under Olivia's gaze, Liv dumped her backpack on the floor at headed to the kitchen. A glass sat on the counter next to an almost empty bottle of whiskey. Liv grabbed a cup out of the cupboard, taking care not to slam the door shut, and started filling it with water at the sink.

"Your head feeling any better?" Liv asked as she shut the water off. No answer. Liv turned around to look at Olivia, who was just standing there staring at her, her brow furrowed. Liv grew increasingly self-conscious and the silence stretched. Finally Liv said, "We should probably talk." Liv took a sip of water, trying to look anywhere but at her alternate.

"No. I don't want to talk."

Startled, Liv looked up at Olivia, who was moving toward her quickly. Confused and a little frightened, Liv quickly set the glass down, water sloshing over the rim onto her hand. Liv put her hands up in front of her defensively, but Olivia was already on her.

Olivia grabbed her face and pressed her lips against Liv's. Thoroughly shocked, Liv dropped her hands down and gripped Olivia's waist, not sure if she should push her away or pull her closer.

Olivia's tongue had worked its way into Liv's mouth, and it tasted of liquor. _This is wrong_, Liv thought, but her body didn't agree. She gave into the feeling and into Olivia, pulling her closer. Olivia's eyes were squeezed shut, and her kiss was insistent, almost harsh. _No, stop. This is wrong_. The voice in Liv's head grew louder and the taste of alcohol stronger.

Liv tore her face free, pulling Olivia's hands from her cheeks and stepping back so that her hips hit the sink behind her. Olivia was breathing deeply, chest heaving. Sweat trickled between her breasts, and Liv had to tear herself away from the sight.

"This is wrong. You're not thinking clearly. You're drunk." Liv pressed a couple of fingers to her mouth, trying to suppress the tingling that danced across her lips.

Though Olivia's face was flushed red, her eyes were clear and her feet steady. "It takes more than a couple of shots to get me drunk." Olivia said the words quietly, huskily. "Don't you want this?" She took a step closer and reached a hand, brushing the bangs away from Liv's forehead. The certainty in her eyes was fading, and Liv imagined that a stone had settled sickly in Olivia's stomach, a feeling of guilt and shame. It was what she would have felt were she in Olivia's shoes.

"I didn't say that. I just…I don't want to take advantage. I don't want you to do something that you'll regret later." Olivia's hand came to rest on her cheek, cupping it gently. Liv couldn't help but lean into it a little. "We should talk, about this, about everything."

"What's there to talk about?" Olivia's face was now just inches from Liv's, and she could feel her breath on her cheek. "You said it this morning: separate, we're both lonely. Together, we're not. What more is there to say?" Olivia brushed her lips against Liv's cheek.

Liv closed her eyes and turned her face so that her nose nuzzled Olivia's face, cheek still pressed against Olivia's hand. Olivia was right. They both wanted this, so why make it complicated? It was the same argument Liv had made to Olivia during the car ride to the lab. She opened her eyes and said, "Nothing."

They kissed again. It was a soft, tender kiss, far from the urgency of the earlier one. Liv ran her fingers through Olivia's still-wet hair. She smelled like home, and Liv realized that Olivia must have used her shampoo. Liv pushed away from the sink and started to take off her jacket, lips still pressed against Olivia's.

Once it was free, Liv tossed the jacket to the side and broke away from Olivia, who was busy fumbling with her pants. They undressed quickly, both breathing heavily. A trail of clothing led from the kitchen to the bedroom.

Olivia ended up on top, pressing Liv into the mattress with the force of her kiss, one hand sliding down Liv's stomach, the other supporting her weight. Liv shuddered under Olivia's touch, losing herself in the moment, thoughts disappearing in lieu of passion. All that mattered was the two of them, moving together as one.

Heat flared between her thighs, and Liv wrapped them around Olivia's leg, pushing hard. She moaned softly, and Olivia responded, hand leaving Liv's stomach and trailing down between her thighs.

At Olivia's touch, Liv gasped out loud and broke from Olivia's kiss, burying her face in her alternate's shoulder as pleasure rolled through her. Liv could feel it building up and knew that release would come soon. She pulled back, reaching for Olivia's hand, interlocking her fingers with her own. She didn't want it to be over, not yet.

...

Olivia had no idea what she was doing. It had felt so natural when Liv had been on top, when she had been the one leading. Now all Olivia could think to do was what Liv had done for her the night before, not that she was thinking much at that point. With one hand entwined in Liv's and the other still holding holding her up, Olivia kneed Liv's legs apart and thrust her thigh against Liv's hips.

Beneath her, Liv moaned again, throwing her head back. Sweat shone on her forehead where her bangs had been brushed away, and her eyes were squeezed shut. Olivia was sweating too; she could feel it coating her body, making her slide against Liv all the more easily. They moved together easily, a rhythm that steadily got faster and faster.

One of Liv's arms wrapped itself around Olivia's back, fingernails raking against her skin the way hers had against Liv's the night before. Liv was panting heavily now, moans escaping her lips more and more frequently.

Olivia slowed down and lowered her head to brush her lips against Liv's navel. Slowly, she worked her way up to one of Liv's breasts, thigh still moving steadily against Liv's hips. Liv's fingernails dug deep into her skin as Olivia tentatively flicked her tongue against Liv's nipple. Encouraged, Olivia wrapped her mouth around it, tongue slowly caressing the soft skin until it grew hard in her mouth.

Liv let out a small cry and drove her hips against Olivia. Her hand moved from Olivia's back and tangled in her hair. Their lips came together with a terrible urgency, tongues dancing around each other at a frantic pace.

Again, Olivia slipped her hand below Liv's abdomen and was rewarded by a tremor that shot through Liv's body. Liv cried into Olivia's mouth, shuddered one last time, and then held still, all her muscles clenched and her eyes tightly shut. Then she collapsed back onto the bed.

Olivia stayed on top, lowering herself down so that her whole body pressed against Liv's. She rested her chin against Liv's chest and stroked her hair. Liv's eyes opened slowly and they met hers. An understanding passed between the two, like the electrical charge that shot through them both when their lips met. Olivia pulled herself up and kissed Liv softly, lips barely tickling Liv's nose, then moved to her mouth. They lay together like that for a long time, bodies entwined and lips locked.

When they finally broke apart, they slid under the covers, nestling up to each other so that they were face-to-face. Olivia slid her fingers down Liv's side, reaching for her hand. Their fingers intertwined, and soon, sleep crept up on them both.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm sorry for how long it has taken for me to continue this story. I always knew where I wanted it to go, but how it got there was a different matter. And, when Fringe was over, my motivation to continue writing plummeted. **

**I hope you enjoy the rest of the story. I apologize in advance for any character or overall plot inconsistencies, as it has been a couple of years since I last watched season 4. **

**...**

They had breakfast together the next morning. Olivia had woken first and had run to the store for bacon. The familiar scent of it frying had been what had lured Liv from her dreams. It was still dark out. Liv rolled onto her back and pushed the covers off. She slipped from the bed and dug through Olivia's things for some underwear and a shirt, smiling wryly at how nice it was to wake up the morning after and have clothes that fit.

In the kitchen, Olivia was sipping a cup of coffee while idly poking at the bacon as it cooked. Liv leaned against the wall and watched her. She was already mostly dressed for work, only missing shoes and her suit jacket. She wore an apron to save her blouse from grease stains. Her eyes were far away.

"Good morning."

If Liv's voice had startled her, Olivia showed no signs. She glanced over at Liv and smiled slightly. "Morning. There's coffee if you want any." A mug was sitting next to the coffee pot.

Liv poured herself a glass and blew on it gently before tasting it. _This is the best thing about this universe_, Liv thought to herself as the bitter warmth of the drink slid down her throat and warmed her stomach. _Or,_ _one of the best things_, she amended, eyes sliding over Olivia.

"Can I help with anything?" Liv asked?

"Uhh, yes, if you wanted to put down some toast and get the eggs out. Do you want scrambled or fried?"

"Scrambled eggs are fine."

"You could also get dressed." Olivia glanced at Liv's bare legs. "It's…distracting." A blush crept up her neck as she spoke.

Stifling a laugh, Liv leaned close to Olivia and whispered, "Do you want to be…more than distracted?" She let the question hang. Olivia had gone stock still, face now completely flushed red. Liv let the laugh out, and said "I'm just kidding. I'll go put some clothes on."

Olivia let out a sheepish laugh and pressed her fingers to her forehead to cover her blush. "I folded your clothes, they're on a pile by the couch."

Dressed now, Liv helped Olivia finish cooking breakfast, and they ate together. Liv still couldn't get over how much good food they had over here. She was layering jam on her third piece of toast while Olivia still munched slowly on her first. Olivia had gone through more bacon than her though, so Liv didn't feel too bad about wolfing down so much bread. Neither of them said a word about last night.

They didn't talk about it during the car ride to work, either. The radio was on in the background, a droning voice relaying the morning's top stories, but it was drowned out by Liv and Olivia's conversation. They didn't talk about anything important, but still managed to talk about a lot. Differences between Here and There, differences between Lincoln and Lincoln, Broyles and Broyles—office gossip. Apparently while her Lincoln couldn't keep a secret, Olivia's was quiet and dependable. Liv couldn't help but chuckle at that. Olivia asked her if she had ever been to the moon. She told her she hadn't, and Olivia could hardly believe it.

"It's not that exciting! It's a four hour trip there and back, and all there is to see is barren rock, and you only get to be there for thirty minutes before they make you get back on the shuttle."

"But it's the _moon_! In _space_!" Olivia was aghast at Liv's nonchalance. "Very few people here have the chance to go to space, let alone land on the moon!"

Liv laughed. "Well, maybe I'll take you sometime." Plans for the future, for dates. They met each other's eyes for an awkward moment before breaking apart.

"Yeah, maybe you'll have to."

Olivia said it quietly after a moment. A moment where she had silently considered that possibility, the possibility that this wasn't just a fling? Liv felt a flutter in her stomach at the thought. _A future. A future where we might be together_. Now _that_ would be some good office gossip. Liv wondered what Lincoln would say, what Frank would think.

But no. That would never happen. They could never be together, not officially. It was too strange an idea, dating yourself. Gay marriage wasn't even legal over here yet, and incest wasn't okay in either universe. Liv pushed those thoughts away. The deep-seated longing for the possibility that this might become something more startled her.

...

Work went by slowly. Olivia itched to be in the field rather than being stuck in the lab, and other reasons made her long for this day to be over. Reasons related to Liv.

Distracted, she kept stealing glances through her office window at Peter, who was fiddling with something; nothing new there.

He intrigued her. A lot. Alternate universes were something that she had come to accept, but alternate timelines? It was unsettling. And he knew her. In his timeline, she was someone important to him. She saw the way he looked at her, and those looks gave her mixed feelings. Something deep inside of her wanted to respond to them, wanted to see where this could go, what this alternate-timeline version of herself had with him.

She pulled herself away from those thoughts, turning instead to the safer matter of her alternate.

What did they have? Was it a relationship? Something that could be long term? They had talked today about dating, doing things together in the future, after this case was solved. Did she want that? Could it last? It would have to be a secret; no one could know about the two of them, and thought of having to sneak around was both thrilling and daunting.

Olivia forced herself to let go of those anxious musings. _Just take it day-by-day, _she told herself. No sense worrying right now what the future might bring. It would work itself out.

There was a tap on her on her door. Olivia got up and looked through the glass. It was Liv. She swung the door open, ushered Liv inside, and then closed and locked it behind her.

"What's up?" Olivia asked, looking at Liv expectantly. "Any new information on the case?"

Liv sighed in frustration. "No, we keep hitting dead ends. We've been following up with all the Jim Smith's in the area, and they are all about as interesting as their name implies. Why the shapeshifter took our Jim Smith's body is still a mystery, and there's no trace of him anywhere, and no new bodies found under suspicious circumstances. We've got nothing to go on." Liv slapped down on Olivia's desk, venting her feelings.

Smiling, Olivia said, "You know, you're cute when you're angry. You wave your hands around and your face gets red. And now it's even redder." Olivia leaned over to the window and closed the blinds.

"You're kidding. Here? Now?" Liv asked, shocked.

Olivia approached Liv, took her hips in her hands, and breathed into her ear, "You're here, I'm here, and we're alone." She kissed the Liv's cheek and worked her way down to the front of her neck. "Why not?"

Liv made a strangled noise somewhere between nervous laughter and ardor, and then Olivia pressed her lips firmly against her alternate's. Liv pressed back, tongue flitting out to meet Olivia's, one hand tucking between Olivia's stomach and pants, the other working at the zipper.

Then there was a knock at the door, and the door knob rattled. "Olivia?" It was Peter.

They sprang apart, flushed and breathing heavily. Olivia covered her mouth and looked toward Liv with wide eyes. She zipped up her pants, tucked in her shirt, and motioned Liv toward her desk.

Liv moved quickly, sitting down at Olivia's desk and beginning to flip through files.

"We're having an argument about something. Anything. That's why we're flushed," Olivia whispered to Liv desperately.

Liv gave her a curt nod and said loudly, "I don't agree. I don't think we should overlook—" and was cut off by Olivia swinging the door open to Peter.

"Yes, Peter. What can I do for you." She said it stiffly, forcing her face into a mask of what she hoped was barely concealed anger rather than sexual frustration. And, she admitted to herself, she was a little bit angry. But it was anger at Peter's interruption, not her alternate.

Peter glanced back and forth between Olivia and Liv and, sensing the tension in the room, gave them both a disarming smile. "Sorry to interrupt. Walter's getting Thai for lunch, and he wanted to know if you wanted anything? Oh, and Broyles is here talking to Lincoln about the investigation. He'll want to talk to you two as well."

Liv recovered faster than Olivia. "Thanks for letting us know, Peter." She cocked her head and stared at him, running her eyes over his face, knowing how uncomfortable she made him. "I'm not hungry. We had a big breakfast."

Peter looked away from Liv, mouth tight.

Olivia stepped in, saying, "I'm not hungry either. Thank you for the offer though. We'll be out to talk to Broyles in a moment."

"Sure." Peter appraised them both again, then backed out.

As soon as he was gone, Olivia looked back at Liv, shrugged helplessly, and then followed Peter out.

...

And so it went. They met when they could come up with excuses to, mostly on the pretense of investigating the shapeshifters. The other Broyles had told Liv things only he, and thus her Broyles, could know, and so Liv dropped questions here or there around Colonel Broyles, asking those things only he could know the answer to. Satisfied with what she gleaned, Liv no longer suspected he was a shapeshifter, though she still held on to suspicions about his recent behavior.

Sometimes, Olivia would come to see Liv, and they would stay in her apartment and talk and eat and do other things at night. Other times, Liv would go back to Olivia's universe, and Olivia would try to get her to taste different kinds of alcohol and bring her to parks overflowing with life. They had not found time to go to the moon.

A few weeks after the shapeshifter had thrown Liv off the bridge, Olivia was sitting in Liv's apartment, cradling a tumbler of whiskey in one hand, with the other pressed against her forehead.

"They keep getting worse, these migraines. They're not as bad over here, and don't come as frequently. But I feel like I'm fading, like I'm losing bits of myself. It's as though colors are slipping from golden to blue. Everything's becoming darker. And I'm forgetting things." Olivia sighed and laid her head against the couch cushion. "It's always better with you, though. When you're around I feel more grounded. How strange, that I should feel more confident in who I am when I'm face-to-face with an alternate universe's version of me."

Olivia's candor about this made Liv uneasy. She didn't seem like the Olivia she knew at all. It was almost frightening. "Maybe it's the pills you're taking." Liv suggested, filling up a glass of water. "Drugs can do things to you. Maybe you should ease off of 'em." She brought the glass over to Olivia, and despite her weak protestations, took her whiskey away and dumped it down the drain. "And the alcohol can't be helping either."

Liv sat down on the couch, turned Olivia's back toward her, and began massaging her neck and shoulders. Olivia sighed, leaning into her touch. "That feels good, thank you."

"Frank used to give the best massages. I still have some of the lotions he used. Do you want me to go get them?" Liv nuzzled the back of Olivia's neck and whispered, "We could go to the bedroom."

"Mmm, sounds nice."

A few minutes later, Olivia was sprawled across Liv's bed, back bare, while Liv straddled her hips. Liv stared at Olivia's rippling back muscles for a moment, then began spreading lotion from her shoulders to her waist. Her skin was warm under her hands as Liv began kneading Olivia's back, and she felt Olivia relax under her touch.

...

Olivia moaned softly when Liv hit a sweet spot and tried not to tense up in pleasure as her alternate massaged her stiffness away. Liv's bed smelled like lavender and soap, and she buried her head into the covers, trying to melt into the mattress, to loosen all of her muscles and become boneless under Liv's touch. Her muscles crackled as Liv put pressure along Olivia's spine, and Olivia suddenly felt lighter than she had in what seemed like years, all the tension that she had stored away released in a moment.

A few more minutes passed, a blissful escape. Olivia lost herself in it, in Liv's hands as she worked away all the stress and pain that Olivia had had been saving up, all her fears and doubts and anxieties disappearing, along with her headache.

When Liv finally stopped, Olivia craned her neck back to look at her alternate, and smiled lazily up at her. "Thank you. That was…amazing." She shifted so that she lay on her back but was still beneath Liv, wrapped her hand around Liv's neck, and pulled her down against her lips.

After a moment, Liv gently broke free of their embrace and grinned down wickedly at Olivia. "My turn."

Later, they lay tangled in the sheets together, limbs splayed across the bed and each other. Olivia was drifting into sleep when Liv cupped Olivia's face in her hand and run a thumb across her cheek.

"I think… I think I love you." Liv whispered it into silence. Olivia was asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: This chapter takes place starting at the beginning of 4x17 and ends with 4x19. **

**...**

Liv waited at the threshold of two worlds. The delegate from the other side was coming over soon, and Liv was impatient for her arrival. Tucked in her back pocket were two tickets off planet; she was going to take Olivia to the moon. If time allowed, of course. But she was going to make damn well sure time would allow it.

The door that separated the two universes slid open, but the two security guards leading Olivia out blocked her from her sight. When the guards moved to the side, taking up their positions against the wall, Liv's heart plummeted.

Agent Lincoln Lee was walking toward her, a box full of files in his arms.

"Agent Lee," she managed to choke out, hoping her disappointment didn't show through. Thankfully, Lincoln was oblivious.

"Agent Dunham," he replied. "Nice to see you again."

Liv forced herself to act normally, pasting on a sardonic smile. "Yeah, would've been nicer if you you'd brought me a café latte instead of that pile of paperwork, but…"

A flustered chuckle escaped as he replied, "Uhm, maybe next time?"

Trying to sound casual, Liv asked, "Where's Agent Dunham? I thought since we've been working on this together previously, she would be the one to come over…"

"Oh, um." He adjusted his glasses, a nervous tick that would give him away in any betting game. "I thought you might have heard…"

Cold welled up in her chest and her head suddenly felt light. "Heard what? Lincoln, is she alright?" She tried to keep the desperation that seized her chest out of her voice.

"Well. Um. She was kidnapped." The look on her face must have warned him, so he continued quickly. "She's fine, she's fine. We got her back."

Liv hadn't realized how tightly she had been clenching her hands into fists until she let her fingers relax and saw the deep indentations in her palms left by her fingernails. "I should go see her, see how she is." She paused, mind working furiously. _How did this happen? How could no one tell me? Why hasn't Olivia come to see me, or tried to send word? _

Liv suddenly recalled that Lincoln was there."Did they catch the people who did this? And who did this? And why? What did they want? How did she get away?" She threw the questions at him and felt more bubbling up in her throat.

"Whoa, slow down. She's fine, like I said, but I don't think you'll want to visit her. At least not yet." He set his box down.

"What…what do you mean?"

She's…changed. She's not the Olivia we knew." There was a note of sorrow in his voice that spoke of a longing Liv had suspected, and made her take what he was saying more seriously.

"She's changed? What, like trauma?"

"No. Your Nina Sharpe—and this is why I'm surprised you weren't told—has been in our universe with David Robert Jones. They've been injecting her with a drug called cortexiphan—" Liv snapped her head up at that "—for weeks now. Those injections…they changed her. She's a different Olivia now, literally. She's Peter Bishops' Olivia, the one he's been trying to get back to. The one from another timeline."

"…what?" Liv couldn't believe what he was saying. Didn't want to believe it. Her knees were buckling, and she fell toward the wall for support.

"She's from a different timeline. She's a different Olivia, like you're a different Olivia and your Lincoln is a different me. She doesn't remember things." He didn't seem to notice the extent of her distress, lost in his own disappointment. "We…we went on date once. Or, sort of a date." He chuckled mirthlessly. "She doesn't remember it at all. It was barely two months ago. And she doesn't remember it."

Liv forced herself to straighten up as her mind raced through everything Lincoln had told her. "What, so she has amnesia? Maybe I'll be able to help. If I see her, I can talk to her, about working on this case together, and, and…"

Lincoln was shaking his head. "It's not amnesia. I'm sorry Agent Dunham, but the Olivia we knew is gone. Like she never existed. And I don't think this new one wants to see you. That's why I'm here."

Liv stared at him dumbly, mind trying to process everything Lincoln had told her. _I _will_ find a way to see her. I will. She'll remember me, she'll remember us. She has to_.

"Well." Liv spoke slowly, trying to reorder her thoughts, to move on—at least for the time behind. "Thank you, Lincoln, for letting me know. But we have work to do. We're heading out to a parking garage—we've a vigilante shapeshifter on our hands. Oh, and by the way, what's your middle name?"

...

Olivia tried keep her impatience from rising. As usual, Walter was making her life a little more difficult.

"Agent Dunham, are you ready?"

Olivia snapped her eyes to the soldier's face. Hoping to keep the impatient bite from her voice, she forced a smile and said, "Almost."

At that moment, the bathroom door opened and Walter stumbled out, adjusting his coat. "Always like to empty my bladder before a long trip."

"Walter, you do realize that we are just walking through a door?"

Earnest, he answered, "It's better safe than sorry."

Trying to keep from rolling her eyes, Olivia turned to the officer and indicated they were ready to go. She had to admit that she was a little nervous about this meeting. Facing her alternate always made her uncomfortable. Her thoughts kept wandering to her alternate's impersonation of her, and her seduction of Peter. Mata Hari, Walter had apparently called her. Not that Walter remembered that now.

This alternate Olivia Dunham was not that one, was not the one that had slept with Peter, just as she wasn't the same Olivia Dunham that had worked with this alternate on the shapeshifter case.

But she still couldn't shake off her distaste for her alternate, not matter which one she was.

She tried to put herself in the shoes of her old self, the one she had decided to let go. What would have possessed her to work so closely with her alternate? To spend nights in her apartment? To let her spend nights in hers? It was unimaginable.

But then, who was she to judge? She didn't know what the two had been through. She knew the facts; they had worked on the case, spent time together, saved each other's lives. They must have grown close.

Olivia hoped her meeting with Liv would not be like it had been with Lincoln, his sorrowful eyes searching hers, looking for a trace of the person she used to be. She wished Lincoln could let it go, could let her go. Maybe try to build a new relationship with her, like Nina was going to. Hopefully her alternate could too.

Resolute, Olivia hooked her arm through Walter's, as much having him support her as the other way around. When they reached the meeting room, they found it empty. A sneaking hope wormed its way into her heart; maybe she could just leave Walter here, slip away before she ever had to face Liv.

She made herself ask Walter again, feeling guilty about his obvious anxiety and her cowardice. "Walter, are you sure you don't want me to go with you?"

"I'm sure, dear. Once Peter receives the bodies at the lab, he'll need your help to examine them. Besides, I'm sure you love birds could use a little time together." He smiled impishly at that. Inwardly, she smiled impishly too. It was going to be nice to have some time alone with Peter, time when she didn't need to worry about running into a naked Walter.

The door at the other end of the room swung open, letting some light into the dark room.

"Ah, my escort is here." Walter said, "And by escort, I don't mean prostitute."

Liv and Lincoln walked around the table toward them. "Good to see you." Olivia gave Lincoln a warm smile.

His response was more subdued. "You too." The other Lincoln's death had cast a pall on him, but his melancholy was put to shame by Liv's grief. She covered it well, but Olivia saw through her cheerful welcome. She also wouldn't meet Olivia's eyes.

Impulsively, Olivia said, "Agent Dunham, could I have a word?" Her guts twisted right after she said the words. What sort of comfort could she offer an agent who has just lost her partner? She knew what that was like. When Charlie died…it had been hard. Very hard. It was something that a person had to work through on their own. But still, Olivia had to try.

Liv pressed her lips together, then nodded curtly. They stepped into the hallway. Liv was stiff and kept her distance, still not looking at Olivia.

"How are you doing?" Bad start. The conversation immediately turned into a confrontation.

Liv jerked her head around and finally met Olivia's eyes, and Olivia recognized the simmering anger burning in them, so similar to her own. "What do you think? I lost my partner. I lost Lincoln. And I also lost…I also—" She turned away, biting the tip of her lip.

Olivia didn't think. She stepped forward and wrapped Liv in an embrace. At first, Liv was stiff in her arms, but then melted into Olivia, pressing her face into her shoulder. Her body shook with soundless sobs.

Her cheek was pressed against Liv's hair, and she caught a hint of coconut and lime. The scent so familiar it almost overpowered her. Broken memories littered her mind. A scent here, a touch there, a feeling…a feeling of…. And then she lost it. The fragments of a previous life scattered away, leaving a strange feeling of emptiness left behind.

Liv's shudders had ceased, and she was motionless in Olivia's arms. But she clung tight to Olivia still, as though she were a lifeline. As though she didn't want to let her go.

Olivia rubbed her back softly, tentatively, making soft shushing noises instinctively. "It's going to be alright. Eventually it's going to be better. You're going to be fine. You're gonna be fine."


	10. Chapter 10

It was a quiet Saturday afternoon, and Liv was alone in her apartment, a cup of whiskey in her hands. She had developed a taste for it during her time with Olivia, and a temporary reliance on it after Olivia had changed and then Lincoln's death.

It had been several months since the bridge had closed. There had been no contact with the other side. Nothing. Sometimes Liv wondered that if she and Olivia were ever in the same place at the same time, if they would feel each other. If she could feel Olivia, and if Olivia would feel her.

But no, her Olivia was gone, and the one that had replaced her was happy now, with Peter. Even when they had been together, Liv didn't think Olivia had ever been truly happy. Experienced pleasure yes; had fun, sure. But she hadn't been content.

When Liv last saw Olivia, it had been at the closing of worlds. There had been a lightness in her eyes, despite the catastrophic events threatening both universes. Liv had seen the way Peter and Olivia looked at each other, and she had had to bury the bitter jealousy that threatened to overwhelm her. It had been hard, at the time, but it had become easier. Liv no longer had to make herself believe that she was happy for Olivia, because now she truly was. Olivia deserved good things, and there was no way that any good would have come from their relationship in the long run. Or so Liv told herself.

She still had the tickets to the moon—long expired—tucked in her drawer.

Her world was healing. Whole cities had been completely de-ambered, the trapped citizens freed and returned to lives they no longer recognized. The areas that had been ambered had been turned into memorials and parks. Stretches of land that had been barren of all life for as long as Liv could remember were now flush with new life, and, most importantly, coffee beans were making a comeback.

And as the threads of the universe were stitching themselves back together, so was she. A picture of her Lincoln lay tucked next to the tickets to the moon, and she still looked at it every day. But when she looked at him, she no longer felt overwhelming grief. The pain had been blunted away to a dull throb and, and eve that was slowly being replaced by fond memories of their time together.

Olivia had been right. She was going to be fine.

Liv sighed and got to her feet. She put her barely-touched cup of whiskey by the sink and leaned against the counter. She still didn't know what she was going to do. Lincoln—the other one—had asked her to dinner. Well, coffee and pie, really. A new café had opened up shop just down the road, taking advantage of the increase in availability of coffee. The date was in twelve minutes. She was supposed to meet him there.

Getting dressed was easy. Liv threw on a pair of jeans and a green blouse to set off her eyes. Her hair was harder. Liv had decided to grow out her bangs, and they were now too long to see through, but too short to pull back. She swept them to the side and pinned them back.

For a long moment, she just stared at herself in the mirror, thinking. Was she ready for this? Part of her knew it was too soon. How could she look at Lincoln and not see _her_ Lincoln? And Olivia…it had not been so long ago that Liv had told herself she loved her. Lincoln didn't deserve to be her rebound, not from her grief or her lost relationship.

Sighing, she stepped out of the bathroom and stood in front of the door. After a few seconds' hesitation, she walked out.

It had rained that morning, and water still hung heavy in the air. It smelled fresh, like the promise of renewal. The last words Olivia had spoken to her rang in Liv's mind. _Keep looking up, after it rains. Keep looking up._

Above her, the clouds were parting, allowing glimmers of sunshine to sneak through the curtain of grey. As the sun broke through, Liv looked up and smiled. 


End file.
